1.4 computer science !

what is malware?

malicious software

threats caused by malware?

keylogs, internet connections are slower, deleting, encrypting and corrupting files (computers crash)

viruses are only activated when ….

programs are run

how do viruses spread?

they replicate themselves and attach themselves to other files

what is the danger of a virus?

they corrupt data and change a system until it cant work anymore

worms don’t need ____ to spread

an infected file or human interaction

what can worms do?

replicate themselves and spread by finding weaknesses in software

what are trojans?

malware that looks like legitimate software

what do trojans do?

give attacker secret access to system

trojans cannot ____

replicate or infect or files

what does ransomware do?

locks users’ files with encryption

why do hackers do ransomware?

so they can demand digital currencies (which are harder to trace) to decrypt data

what is social engineering?

tricking victims into giving personal data or access to systems (by pretending to be a legitimate source)

what is phishing?

gaining information by pretending to be a legitimate source

what is shoulder surfing?

obtaining personal information by watching them

what is theft here?

physically stealing security keys or laptops or USB sticks (or data stolen by companies)

what is data interception ?

when data packets are intercepted, copied and sent to a different location during transmission

what software is used to intercept and analyse data packets?

packet sniffers

which type of communication is harder to intercept?

wired

what are denial of service attacks ? (DoS)

when a computer repeatedly sends requests to a server to overload and slow it down

what do DoS attacks aim to do?

websites so users are denied the service

what are impacts to websites after a Dos attack?

loss of revenue, lower productivity, reputation damage

what is a DDoS attack?

distribution denial of service attack

how does a DDoS attack work?

botnets (users are unaware and a large group of devices are controlled by attacker) to send requests to a server

what is SQL injection?

input malicious SQL code into data input sections

how is SQL injection a threat?

hacker can be given administrative rights or extract database info (leak it or hold for ransom)

how do penetration tests help?

finding weaknesses in a system or network so they can be fixed before exploited

what can penetration testing help against?

SQL injection, Brute force attacks, Hacking

how does anti-malware software help?

scans files and programs to a database of known malware signatures

what else can anti-malware software do?

remove suspicious files

what can anti-malware be used against?

malware (trojan, worms, viruses, ransomware)

what does a firewall do?

monitors and controls incoming/outgoing network traffic

how does a firewall help?

blocks unauthorised access + allows safe data through

what can firewalls be used against?

malware, DoS attack and unauthorised access

what do user access levels do?

controls what users can see or do on network, providing different permissions

how do user access levels help?

prevents accidental misuse / keeps sensitive data secure

what can user access levels be used against?

SQL injections, malware and unauthorised access

how do passwords help?

it makes it harder for attackers to guess or crack log in credentials

what do passwords help against?

brute force attacks, unauthorised access and data theft

what is encryption?

scrambling data into an unreadable format with a key, so it cant be understood if intercepted during transmission

what can encryption help against?

data interception and theft

what does physical security do?

restrict access to systems and network hardware

what does physical security include?

security keys, biometrics, cameras and staff

what does physical security help against?

data theft and prevents unauthorised access